To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
by Kae A
Summary: The line between reality and dreams was becoming blurred. She no longer knew where the dream ended and real life began. She would wake up in the mornings with a start from a terrible nightmare. But he would be there. She would wake up smiling from the happiest dream she had ever experienced. But then she would remember her tattered life and would long for the dream to begin again.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N; At the moment this is a huge work in progress. This chapter has taken me forever to write and if I'm honest, I'm still not happy with it. Chapter 2 is being worked, it's just not happening quickly. This isn't writing it's self in any logical order, just random bits of conversations. Then I have to go stitch it together. **

**Please review, I'd love people ideas and thoughts. They really help me write.**

**And lastly thanks to Klovec who kindly acted as my beta on this chapter.**

* * *

**To Sleep, Perchance to Dream**

Chapter 1

She woke with a start as if she had just experienced a terrible nightmare. The sheets were twisted around her and she could feel her pajamas clinging to her in a cold sweat. She wrestled herself free of the bedding and padded barefoot across the landing to the bathroom. She couldn't shake the feeling of unease that the dream had left her with. Even after showering and getting dressed for the day, the dream still lingered. Soon the smell of freshly cooked pancakes wafted upstairs finally bringing her back to reality. A small smile spread across her face as she happily skipped down the stairs and to the kitchen. Sure enough, a stack of hot blueberry pancakes and freshly squeezed orange juice sat on the table waiting for her. Beside the breakfast was a quickly scrawled note.

_Didn't want to wake you. I'll be home late this evening, don't wait up x_

Regardless of what the note said, she would of course be still up when he got home, and he knew it. It was one of their 'things'.

They had developed many 'things' over time. None of them were particularly unique, a million other couples probably had the same but they still felt special to them. Their first had been drinks. They had met through mutual friends at college. Often left as third wheels at parties, their nights would often start with the simple question "drink?" Over time, they had learnt more about each other, slowly becoming friends then more. They outlived the other college romances and even some friendships. Three years later, they were still going strong.

The rest of her day was pretty normal. It was her day off from her job at a local newspaper and she liked to use this time to catch up on everyday little things. She did some chores and read a little before meeting her friends for a quick coffee. They had been friends since high school and tried to get to together at least once a week for some 'girl' time. They were close and nothing could break their friendship. Before she knew it, the sun was starting to set and it was getting late; time with the girls always had that effect.

The house was in darkness when she returned; he wasn't home yet. She quickly went through her nightly routine of cleansing and moisturizing before slipping into fresh pajamas and retreating to the sofa to wait for his return. It wasn't long. No sooner had she poured herself a glass of wine, setting an empty glass for him, he walked through the door. For the briefest of moments he just stared, before dropping his bag and descending upon the sofa to join her.

"I missed you." He whispered, stealing her glass and taking a sip.

She smiled in return, "Long day?"

"No more so than usual. I'm sure you could make me forget all about it," he practically purred in her ear.

He never failed to make her go weak at the knees, even after all this time. It didn't take much to convince her to move things upstairs, it was, after all, in part why she had stayed up.

She mentally counted to three; a goofy smiled spreading across his face. She knew that he too was counting and that it would end in a chase. She launched herself off the sofa and scrambled for the stairs as fast as she could. It was all part of the game. She would reach the stairs; make it within a few steps of their bedroom before he would grab her by the waist before sending them both crashing into the bed.

xxxx

She woke up smiling; she couldn't remember the dream but it felt like it was best she had for a while. After everything that had happened, she needed some happiness even if it was just in her subconscious. She grabbed her dressing gown from the end of the bed and headed for the bathroom. One quick shower and a sweep of mascara later, she was ready for the day.

Downstairs in the kitchen was a pot of freshly brewed coffee and a note waiting beside it.

_Early start at work. Be home for supper x_

In other words, it was her turn to cook. Not that she minded too much, it was a welcome distraction. A distraction from nothingness that now filled her days.

Ever since he left, things in Mystic Falls had become a lot simpler. Almost normal. Elena and Damon were acting like teenagers in love. They seemed happier now that they didn't have to tiptoe around Stefan, who had took off; no one had heard from him for weeks. Bonnie was spending time with her mom and Matt was seeing the world. She had stayed home with the hope Tyler would return. He never did. All she got was a text message apologizing. There were too many bad memories in Mystic Falls and it was time to move on, for both of them. She didn't know why she didn't do something then. Anything. Just drive out of town one day, see a little bit more of what the world had to offer. She just didn't. She stayed home with her mom. College would start in a few weeks but until then, she was alone. She was happy for the most part.

Grocery shopping was a quick errand, even though she managed to drag it out by idling around the aisles, reading the labels on food like it made a difference. Life being this peaceful wasn't something she was used to. For too long there had been so much drama, now there was nothing. Everything was normal.

She ended up cooking and eating alone; her mother had to work late, something she was informed of via a quick text message an hour before she was due home. She could only assume there was actual crime to solve now the vampire drama was over. She washed and dried the dishes after she had eaten before slumping down on to the sofa. TV couldn't hold her attention, fictional drama just didn't have the same appeal after what she had lived through. Or maybe it was just boredom, watching the same thing every night. Should life as a vampire be this mundane? She tried reading the first page of the first book due several times before throwing it down in frustration. Not that it mattered; she had read all the books required for her course already. In the end, she just stayed up staring at the ceiling until she drifted off to sleep.

Her eyes fluttered opened, a gentle rocking had brought her out of her sleep. Had she been dreaming of the ocean? She couldn't remember but there was something unsettling about it. When had she even fallen asleep? As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she focused on his face smiling down at her.

xxxx

"Wakey, wakey, Love. How about we get you to bed?" He was whispering, despite there being no need.

"What time is it?" She rubbed her eyes, it must be late.

"Just past 11."

She didn't question it any either, just simply let him, sleepily, lead her upstairs to their bedroom.

xxxx

She could have sworn she had only shut her eyes for a second, but when she opens them she was lying across the sofa with the DVD menu playing; the film had played in its entirety. What was that dream? It felt so familiar. So real. And normal. But she couldn't pin what had happened.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - Just a quick note to say thanks to all the followers and everyone who left reviews. Please keep them coming! And also thanks to Klovec again for being my beta! I recommend you all go read her fics, they're so much better than this!**

* * *

Chapter 2

She awoke the following morning, stretching out across the bed to reach for him. His side was cold and empty. Grabbing her robe from the foot of the bed, she wandered downstairs to find him reading the morning paper with a coffee in his hand.

"Good morning. Why did you let me sleep late?" she asked as she walked to the counter to pour herself a fresh cup of coffee.

"Morning, Love. You looked peaceful, thought you would appreciate the lie in." He didn't bother to look up as he spoke, not that unusual; he often became engrossed in the news.

With a quick kiss on the cheek, she took the seat next to him at their dining table, "Wasn't that great of a sleep actually."

He folded the newspaper and put it down, "Same dream again?"

"Maybe. I don't know. I can never remember the details. I just know we're both there and something is very wrong. Like we're not human or something. Crazy, right?"

"It's probably just stress. Once your interview is out of the way, and you get the promotion you deserve, things will go back to normal. You'll see. And if it's really bothering you, speak to Bonnie. Didn't she study that kind of thing at college? Dreams, etc?"

He was probably right. It was one of first things she had learned about him, he was always right. Not even in an ignorant way, which she assumed when she first met him, but in a logic way. There were times when she hated it but right now it calmed her. She most likely was just stressing unnecessarily.

"I've got to slip out for a bit. Left some papers in the office. I'll see you soon" he kissed the top of her head before heading out the kitchen.

"See you later." She called but the front door had already clicked shut.

She finished her coffee and gathered the other cup and plates that cluttered the table, dumping them in the dishwasher; she was feeling lazy. She knew she should probably spend some time prepping for her interview. It was only two days away. For just over a year she had been a research assistant at her local newspaper and while she loved it, she wanted more. Then the position for a reporter had opened up and she jumped at the chance. She knew she could do it; she just had to be able to prove it.

Thirty minutes and one text message to her best friend later, she was showered, changed and sat crossed legged on the sofa with an array of papers around her. Various past interviews, different types of articles, many she had helped work on herself that was she trying to sort into a decent portfolio. There was only so much preparation she could do but she still felt unprepared. It was nerves, it had to be. She hoped to walk into the interview with a smile on her face, radiating confidence and the nerves and the dreams would disappear.

-x-x-

She stared at the ceiling, trying desperately to remember her dream. She had been waking up with smile every day for the past few weeks. At first it hadn't bothered her, who hates good dreams right? She had just assumed that it was about Tyler. That they were together and they were happy. But now she wasn't so sure. She remembered tiny flashes from last night's. A quick hand touch, a gentle kiss, his face. Klaus. Of all the people she had to dream of, why him? How on earth could that possibly make her happy? So when the dream, even though she wasn't sure it was the same one each night, happened again, she refused to get out of bed until she remembered more of it.

It was fruitless; all that came to her mind was his happy smiling face.

In frustration, she turned over onto her side and reached across to her bedside table for a cell phone. She doubled tapped Bonnie's picture on her home screen and waited for the phone to start ringing. She sighed, voicemail again.

"_The person you are calling is currently unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone."_

"Hey Bon. I hope things are going well with your Mom. I've really missed talking to you this summer. Your voicemail is now my new best friend! Come home soon please. There's only so much more Damon being in love that I can take before I stake him," She paused, did she really want to discuss her crazy-ass dreams over voicemail? Fuck it, what did she have to lose, Bonnie probably already thought she was crazy after listening to the umpteenth message she had left this summer anyway. "I'm having these really weird dreams. I don't really remember everything but I have the distinct feeling I'm human. And Klaus is there. I know, mental! Anyway, need your witchy powers to interpret them. Call me."

She had left countless messages for her friend during the break but she hadn't received a single returned call or text. If she was honest, she was a little hurt. Granted she was probably having some major family bonding time but did it really take that long to send a text message? Perhaps it was just jealousy; everyone was off doing something while she decided to stay home.

She was just thinking of calling Elena when her phone beeped. Text message. From Elena.

"Huh? Maybe it's a vamp thing," she whispered to herself as she opened the message.

_Hey Care. Can you swing by when you get chance? E x_

Finally, some girl time! As she climbed out of bed and wandered to the bathroom, she wondered how her friend had managed to separate herself from her new vampire boyfriend. Least she has one, she thought as she turned on the shower. Ugh, jealous much?

"I got Bonnie's voicemail again. Left another message." she called out as she walked into the Salvatore's den.

She had gotten ready as fast as she could, but slow enough that she didn't look desperate for company. Frankly, she was getting lonely but she didn't want to admit it. The two of them hadn't hung out in a couple of weeks and with college fast approaching, it was time to prep. This was the perfect opportunity to plan everything. They were just missing Bonnie. Yet she was looking forward to this, she had missed her and needed some girl time. As soon as she walked in her mood changed though. The atmosphere in the room hit her, dragging her down.

"Guys... What's happened?" Damon was nursing a scotch in the corner of the room while the two Gilberts sat opposite each other on the sofas. Neither looked happy. Elena kept her head down, avoiding eye contact with anyone but she was sure she saw tears.

Gingerly, as if the ground was going to swallow her whole, she walked to the sofas, taking a seat next to her best friend. Still no one had spoken and it was beginning to freak her out. "Ok, what's going on?"

Jeremy looked up at her, tears definitely evident in his eyes, "Caroline... There's something you need to know..." He was stumbling over his words. Not sure how to get them out, what order they needed to come in.

That was when Damon cut in. "Bonnie's dead."

"Damon!" Elena's head shot up; tears had ruined her makeup. Before she could say anything else, emotion took over and she fled from the room. Jeremy trailed after her, muttering "jerk" under his breath.

She didn't know where to look. Did she follow her friend? She couldn't even comprehend what Damon had just said. It didn't register. He quickly swallowed the last bit of scotch before pouring two more, one of which he sat in front of her as he took the seat opposite.

"When the veil was up, she basically traded her life for Jeremy's so Elena could have her little brother back." He explained as he watched her carefully.

"When the veil was up? At graduation? But Bonnie was there. We graduated together; we discussed our plans for college." Damon nodded as she rambled.

"She asked him not to say anything. The whole 'spending summer with Mom' was a cover."

She was numbed. How could her friend do this to her?

"I'm sorry I told you like I did. I know I've done wrong by you in the past but I do consider you a friend and I thought you deserved the truth quickly and bluntly." He was trying to be sincere, she could tell. It didn't come naturally to him so it touched her that he was trying.

She gulped down the scotch in front of her, her hand shaking the entire time she held the glass. She didn't know what to say.

"Let me drive you home." He took the glass from her, setting it back on the table before taking her gently by the elbow and leading her to his car.

She knew he had watched her until she had closed her front door, she heard his car drive away as fast as possible. He was most likely in a hurry to get back to Elena, to play the comforting boyfriend. If she was honest, he did play the role well; he so obviously cared for her.

The house was quiet; her mom wouldn't be home for a couple of hours. She thought about making herself something to eat but after spending a good ten minutes just staring at the contents of the fridge, she decided she just wasn't hungry. Instead she turned around, went to her room, lay on her bed and willed herself to go to sleep, that this was all just a bad dream that she needed to wake up from.

–x-x-

Something wasn't right. Had she been dreaming again? She was woken by a strange sensation. Like someone was licking her face. She opened one eye slightly, unsure of what she may find. Two giant brown eyes stared back at her. Looking up at her, two paws resting on the sofa was a little golden puppy. She pushed herself up so she was sitting up and the little thing jumped up next her, making instantly forget the bad feeling she had woken with.

He was perched on the coffee table watching her, "Surprise."

"What's this?" He gave her a look. "I mean, I know what it is. But why?"

"Well we've discussed getting a dog before and I know a guy whose dog just had puppies so it seemed like the perfect time." The little bundle of fur flopped down on the sofa, clearly exhausted from the excitement. "Should I not have?"

"Of course, you should have. I love him!" She scooped him up and sat him on her lap, "It's just a surprise, that's all. What's his name?"

"Whatever you want but for the past couple of days I've been referring to him as Buddy."

The pup's ears instinctively pricked up.

She smiled, "I guess he's Buddy then." The little pup began gently knowing at her finger. "I texted Bonnie. Asked her about dreams and stress. She agreed, probably just me being worried about the interview."

He pulled himself up on to the sofa next to her, draping an arm around her and pulling her close, "See, what did I say? Nothing to worry about. Now how about I get this little boy settled in in the kitchen and I meet you upstairs."

He winked at her. It always had a way of making her feel ridiculously girly. She nodded, passed him Buddy and made her way to their room to wait for him.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - As always thanks to everyone who is reading/following this. If anyone had any criticisms, please let me know. It totally helps me as a writer. And of course many thanks goes to my beta Klovec who makes this a lot more readable.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

For the past two mornings, she had woken up with an undeniable sadness; one that made her want to break down and cry. Whatever she had been dreaming of recently, it was now beginning to take its toll on her. She scrapped her hair back into a ponytail as she walked to the bathroom. As she closed the door behind her, she turned to look in the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy and the remains of yesterday's mascara streaked on her cheeks. Had she been crying in her sleep? She shook her head, she didn't have time to think about this now; she had to prepare for her interview.

She showered as fast as she could. She saved time by shaving her legs the night before. Her outfit was pre-planned, a simple navy pencil skirt, cream blouse and kitten heels. Make up was kept simple only minimal eyeliner, sweep of mascara and a little lip gloss. Her hair was the only thing she hadn't planned. She spent 10 minutes in front of the mirror experimenting with up dos and down dos. In the end, she opted for a simple low ponytail pulled slightly to the side so her hair fell over her shoulder. All that was left to do was to grab a cardigan and her bag then make her way to the office.

She reached to get Buddy's food from the stop shelf of the kitchen cabinet, placed there as he had figured out how to open the bottom door, when a yellow post caught her eye on the fridge next to it.

_I'll be working late again tonight, Love. Good luck with the interview, not that you need it. The job is yours_

She sighed. It was happening too frequently now. He had come home late every night for the past few weeks. At first, she didn't mind but with the dreams and the stress of the interview, it was getting to her now. At her feet Buddy whimpered bringing her back to focus. She quickly fed him, topped up his water bowl and made sure he securely locked in the kitchen. As she ran out the front door, she stopped briefly to check her makeup in the mirror.

"You can do this." She whispered to herself as she took a deep breath and locked the door behind her.

Because she had planned everything down to the last detail, she had time to run to the ground floor cafeteria to grab a quick coffee before heading up to the interview on the first floor. The receptionist greeted her with a smile as she gave her name. She didn't recognize the girl; she must be new. She knew most the people in the building by name. She was pointed in the direction of the corridor to her right. It was lined with glass fronted offices of people busily working. She could picture herself there. That's when it hit her how much she wanted it.

At the end of the corridor was an open plan sitting area, three other people were sitting there. One was a nervous young man, clearly fresh out of college. "No competition there." She thought smugly but flashed him a friendly smile anyway. The other two were people she knew within the office, not by name just by face. They had both been here longer than she had and were at least a couple of years older. It scared her. She had not thought about being up against people who might actually stand a chance of getting the job over her. "How could I have been so stupid? Why didn't I think of that?" she cursed herself.

They both went in before her. Both interviews lasted about twenty minutes. Both came out with very neutral expressions. The young nervous guy followed. His interview was longer. Definitely longer. Or maybe she was being paranoid? He came out of the room smiling and that had her worried.

"Caroline Forbes." Her name was called.

She got up. One of the staff managers, Malcolm Davies, was holding the interview. She sort of knew him. Her very first interview at the paper had been with him. They would exchange pleasantries when passing each other by and he would always ask how she was doing. Sometimes if they had time, they would talk for longer. She liked him and thought he was a nice guy. Although she was convinced otherwise, she couldn't help but wonder if this gave her an advantage over the others.

Afterwards, she thought the interview went well. She tried to come off as enthusiastic and confident that she was the right person for the job without sounding too arrogant. She talked about her time here already and her experience as both a high school and college newspaper editor. She laughed at the right times and noticed he laughed when she made little jokes. It was one of the best interviews she had ever had, if she was honest.

As she left the office, Malcolm shook her hand and said that they would be in touch with all the interviewees shortly. She smiled and thanked him before making her way back down the corridor. She didn't have to be in the office today so decided she would go visit Bonnie at work. Instead of going to college, Bonnie had gone travelling for a couple of years. She traveled all over the world before returning home and applying for college. She was now studying Philosophy while working part time at a locally owned small coffee shop, not far from where Caroline worked.

When she walked in, there were only two other customers. A guy sat in the corner reading and a girl, obviously a student, working furiously on a laptop with an espresso cup beside her. Bonnie was behind the counter washing up.

"I'll take a latte please." As she ordered, Bonnie turned around and smiled brightly at her.

As she watched her friend busily make her order, she took a seat on the sofa nearest the counter and waited for Bonnie to join her.

"So, how did the interview go?" Bonnie placed the steaming hot drink next to her and slouched down into the sofa with her.

"It went well, really well. It'll be a few days before I hear anything though." She took a sip of her latte. It was really good but extremely hot.

She must have sounded off because Bonnie gave her a look, "Then what has you all 'thinky'? And don't give me the 'oh, nothing' crap, Care. I know you, I know when there is something on your mind."

She sighed, "It's just Nik. He has been working late a lot really. I know he's been really busy at work but it's been like every night for the past few weeks. How many teachers do you know that have to work until well into the night?"

She took another sip of latte, this time taking a moment to blow over it in an attempt to cool it, as Bonnie spoke. "Well I only know one to be fair. But I don't suppose it is a line of work that requires too many late nights."

She took a moment to let what her friend had sink in then set her cup on the table, keeping her eyes down, "I just keep thinking back to college…"

"Caroline," Bonnie grabbed her hands, forcing her to look up. "You know Nik loves you. College was a blip; you weren't even together at the time. You know that. You told me so yourself."

She nodded. There was brief moment in their past. They had been at a party. She couldn't remember where it was. They had had a slight disagreement earlier that night; again she couldn't remember what it was about. It wasn't important. None of it was really. Like Bonnie said, they weren't even officially a couple at the time. They had only been on a couple of dates, sort of testing the waters if they could take the step from friends to more. She had been wandering around the party alone, having lost her friends when she saw him in the corner of the living room kissing another girl. It was at that moment she realized how much she actually liked him. She didn't speak to him for six days afterwards. He had come back groveling, begging her every day for a second chance. The thought of losing her, even as a friend, had scared him. They had been inseparable ever since. It was all the past.

"Have you tried talking to him about it?"

"Yeah, no, I don't know. Maybe I'm just feeling paranoid with all the stress from the interview and the dreams."

"Still having those?" Caroline nodded in reply, "Talk to Nik. The interview is over now, the dreams will probably stop. They're usually just a manifestation of our fears."

"Thanks, Bonnie."

At that point, another customer walked in so Bonnie had to go back to work. She drank the rest of her latte in peace, waved goodbye to her friend and headed home.

It would be hours before he got back so she cooked for one, fed Buddy before settling down on the sofa with a movie and the puppy curled up on her side. Sometime during the second movie they had both fallen asleep.

-x-x-

She had been told many times that her emotions were heightened as a vampire. It was true. She sought the highest level of perfection in any task, cared more deeply for her friends, and loved with an endless passion. Unfortunately for her, it also meant the first stage of grief completely consumed her. Denial was meant to be temporary, but it became clear to those around her that it had taken over.

When she had first learnt of Bonnie's death, she had let Damon take her home where she had gone straight to bed. It was a bad dream as far as she was concerned and she needed to just wake up. Her mom was still at work and she woke the next morning after she had left.

She got up, showered, planned a cute outfit consisting of a pale floral blouse, dark blue jeans, dark brown cowboy boots. She spent a little time gently curling her hair and a applying a quick layer of mascara and lip gloss. Grabbing her purse, she headed for the front door. It was a nice day outside so she walked casually to the Salvatore's house to retrieve her car. There was no point in flashing over at vampire speed while the sun was shining.

She was just about to climb into her car when Elena appeared at her side, "Caroline, are you ok? I tried calling your cell."

"Dead battery, I left it at home. I'm just collecting my car. I might go shopping later."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Don't you want to talk?"

"Nothing to talk about. I'm fine, Elena, really. I'll call you later, I'm going to go to the mall for a bit. Want to come with?" When she got no answer, she climbed in and started the engine, driving off as her friend screamed her name.

Shopping was as successful as it ever was for her. She came home with a new satchel and a whole heap of stationary she probably won't need for college but it was too cute to resist. She set it down on dresser, kicked off her shoes and flopped down onto her bed.

Keys rattled in the door, "Caroline? Are you home?"

Her mom appeared in her door, still in full uniform straight from work. "Are you ok?"

She sat up and spun round so she was facing her mom, "I'm fine, Mom. I've just walked in, I went shopping." She said brightly.

"Elena called me. She told me about Bonnie."

"Oh. That." In a way, she had forgotten all about it. "Everything will be. Bonnie with find her way back."

"Caroline, honey. I don't think she's…." Liz couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence as her daughter smiled back at her, completely confident that this was a temporary thing"

"Trust me. It'll be fine. She brought Jeremy, she'll bring herself back too. I know it."

Seeing that she wouldn't change her daughter's mind, Liz smiled back sadly, "I'm sure she will." She paused, deciding it was best to let her deal with it in her own way, "Want to get take out? I can't be bothered to cook."

"Sure. Chinese? I'll order online." Caroline rose from her bed, retrieved her laptop from her dresser and was soon busily ordering takeout food for them both.

As she watched from the door, Liz couldn't be sure if Caroline was truly coping but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. But she had told Elena she would contact her as soon as she had spoken to Caroline. In case of being heard she texted her daughter's best friend,_Spoke to Caroline. She seems fine at the moment. I'll keep an eye on her though._She didn't want to unnecessarily concern her with Caroline behavior just yet; she might just not have processed it yet.

For three days Liz watched daughter as she continued to deny the fact that her friend was really gone. Every time she tried to broach the subject, Caroline would dismiss it. As far she was concerned Bonnie was working on the other side to get back to them; it was just taking her a little longer than everyone expected. Most likely it was because she had used so much power bringing back Jeremy. Regardless, she was certain Bonnie would be back. She would walk through the front door and everything would be like it was before.

Each time Liz tried to talk about it, Caroline got a little angrier. The last time almost pushed Liz to the breaking point. Caroline had never bared her fangs to her mom before, and frankly it scared her. She didn't want to worry Elena, she was coping with the grief of losing her best friend alongside the guilt of having her brother back and she knew Damon was helping her through it. Matt and Stefan were both unreachable. Tyler probably wasn't a wise choice. It left only one other person. She rang him and she had barely uttered the words "I'm concerned about Caroline" when he was declaring he would be there as soon as possible before hanging up on her.

He was at their doorstep a day later. Liz let him in silently; they didn't need to say anymore. She had sent him a text while on the road. She had been trying to keep the impending visit quiet from her daughter for now; she didn't want to risk Caroline's anger.

Caroline looked up from her laptop when she heard the front door close.

"Mom?"

When she got no answer, she stuck her head out of her door. The sight of him standing there made her straighten up.

"Klaus? What are you doing here?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:- I have got to say this was by far the hardest chapter I've written. It's been through so many drafts! Klovec, Jay, my beta deserves all the thanks in the world for checking and rechecking this and just generally putting up with me! So please leave feedback, just so she knows how much her hard work is appreciated!**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

When she woke up, he stood at the foot of the bed, adjusting his tie in the morning.

"Morning." As she yawned and stretched. He turned around and smiled at her.

"Good morning, Love. Today's the day right?"

She nodded and pulled herself up into a sitting position. Today was the day she found out if she had been successful and got the job. She was a bundle of nerves.

"You'll be fine. That job is as good as yours. How did you sleep? No dreams?" He sat down next to her on the bed, idly stroking her arm.

She sighed, "Still happening. Feels more and more real each time. I should start writing them down; they're like a teen drama. If I don't get the job, I could become a writer. Vampire books are still popular right?" She laughed, she had to. They might be disrupting her sleeping pattern somewhat but at least she was starting to remember the dreams bit by bit. Vampires, witches, werewolves. The stuff of Hollywood films and network TV. Nothing real. Nothing that could really hurt her. So she just accepted them. They would go in time.

"That's my girl." He looked quickly at his watch, "Shit, I'm running late. I'll see you later." He left quickly, but not before leaving her with a soft lingering kiss.

She got to work in record time, even though she had showered, dressed and taken Buddy for a quick walk. She even had enough time to grab a coffee from the shop across the street from her building. She walked into the office confidently and with a smile on her face, setting her coffee on her desk and turning on her pc. The first thing she did, even though she had told herself not to, was open her email. Even the thought of the email already being there was too much for her, she had to know. Of the 10 emails waited for her a couple of spam, others were emails from colleagues regarding plans for a work night out, one was from Elena wishing her luck and the rest were tasks she needed to do today. She did not receive a job offer/rejection email as of yet.

"That's a good thing. It has to be. "She said to herself as she flagged the tasks she needed to do.

She couldn't help herself and checked her email every thirty minutes but still no word on the job. She did receive one more email wishing her luck, this time from Bonnie.

Lunch came and went and there was still no email.

The end of the day soon came around; she was just closing down all her open windows when the little email notification popped up in the bottom corner. It was from Malcolm Davies' personal assistant. This was it, the moment she had been waiting for all day. Her mouse hovered over the email application along the task bar. All she needed to do was double click. She took a deep breath, double clicked and read the email.

Unsuccessful.

She did not get it.

They had chosen someone else.

As soon as she was out of the office, she was on the phone with Elena begging her to go for a drink. Her friend never took much convincing and within 20 minutes, she was meeting her in their little corner bar.

The music played softly in the back. Elena had grabbed them a table near the jukebox and a bottle of white wine with two glasses; she had already poured herself one.

"Hey. You sure you want to be drinking with me and not at home with Nik?" Elena started pouring the second glass as Caroline sat on the opposite stool.

"I'm sure." She swallowed a gulp of wine, "He probably won't be back for hours. He keeps working late." She rolled her eyes and took another swallow.

Elena threw her a sympathetic smile, "Don't worry about it. I know Nik; he is crazy about you."

"I know, I know. Fact of the matter is I didn't get the job and I want to drink until I forget about how much it blows."

From that point, the evening took a slippery slope that was only going to lead them to a trio of hangovers. Bonnie met them an hour later when they were a bottle and a half of wine deep. After that, they turned to the tequila. Throughout college, their evenings out had always ended with tequila shots. It brought about reminiscing or happier, easier times. They laughed more that night then they had in a long time. Tonight they were just three girls having a fun night out.

She was still laughing as she tried to open the front door. She dropped the keys at least twice before she was able to stagger into the house. Buddy started barking as soon as she walked in.

"Ssshhhh…."She started to shush him as she walked into the kitchen but stopped instantly.

Set out in front of her was their kitchen table, all dressed up for dinner. Tablecloth, candles, flowers… the works. One plate was pristine, it hadn't been touched. The other had clearly been used, traced of food evident, cutlery dumped on top. On the stove were saucepans and baking trays, filled with wasted food.

"Welcome home, Love." His voice floated from the living room, tainted with anger. The only light was from the muted TV. Next to him sat a bottle of scotch.

She smiled, "I'm sorry, I had no idea you had this planned."

He turned to her, his eyes cold, "Well you wouldn't would you? It was meant to be a surprise for when you got home." Without missing a beat, he deadpanned, "Surprise."

"I didn't get the job so went for a drink with the girls. I didn't think you would be home for hours. You've been working late every night." She came and sat next to him on the sofa, trying to take his hand but he snatched it away and went to the kitchen, taking his glass and scotch with him.

"So that is what this is about, me working late?"

"Oh please, you're a teacher. Since when do teachers work until 11 at night?!" She flopped back on the sofa, letting her head loll to one side, watching him stand still at the sink.

"You don't think I'm at work?" He questioned her; this was the first he had heard of her having issues with his hours.

She shrugged, "Well, can you blame me?"

Their voices had slowly risen. This was not a conversation that they should have been having when they had both had a drink.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" He had a feeling he knew where this was going. He thought they were long past this.

"Edie." It was the first time in years that she had actually said her name. She could see his fists clench as she spoke.

"I thought we had long moved past this." The anger bubbling inside him threatened to overflow.

They argued about trust. He accused her of not trusting him. They argued about that one incident in college. She was very careful not to imply she actually thought he was cheating now. Buddy sat whimpering in his cage. He yelled. She yelled. They were both tired and drunk and this wasn't getting them anywhere.

"Do you really want to know what I've been doing every night?" He screamed. She nodded in reply. "I took a second job teaching night classes so I could buy you this." He pulled out of his pocket a little velvet black box and tossed it to her.

Everything fell silent as she opened the box; inside was a silver ring with a band tiny blue and white stones through the center of it. "Nik…My god…. I'm sorry…." She was speechless.

He shook his head, "Don't worry about it. Seems we both made a mistake." And without any kind of warning he grabbed his keys and left.

She fled to the front door, screaming at him to come back. But as he drove away, she was left feeling torn apart. It was like she had just destroyed the best thing in her life. She slowly closed the door; Buddy had begun whimpering again so she opened his cage. With him curled up next to her, they both fell asleep on the sofa. She was still clutching the tiny jewelry box to her chest.

-x-x-

He stood before her, unchanged. The same smug smirk on his face. He still looked at her as if she was the only thing that mattered. Up until that moment in time, she hadn't realized how much she had missed that. Sure Tyler and Matt had both looked at her in similar ways but the way he looked at her was…different. It was as if she was the only one in the room. She found herself a little happy at his return, though she soon quashed the feeling; telling herself she should not be happy to see him, that for every good deed he did there were three bad deeds. "What are you doing here?" She repeated.

He didn't answer her right away. What he was seeing was not the same Caroline he had left behind. Yes, her hair still fell in messy gold curls and yes, her eyes still shone bright blue and yes, the fire was still there. But there was something missing. It was as if a little piece of her had been chipped away and if they were not careful, the rest of her might fall. The saddest part was she didn't even seem to notice she was broken.

"I was just in the area on business..."

"Bullshit." She cut him off.

He sighed and took a step forward, "I heard about Bonnie and since I was in the area anyway, I decide I would see how my friend was faring."

She studied him for a moment, he looked sincere. Maybe he was genuinely in town for another reason. "Well, as you can see, I am fine. Everything will be fine. So thank you for stopping by." She turned on her heel to retreat to her bed but she was stopped suddenly by him catching her elbow. There was silence as her eyes travelled from his hand to his eyes and lingered there for a moment.

"How about a drink? For old times' sake?" He gave her his most charming smile.

She considered it. "Give me 5 minutes to get ready." She replied after a moment's pause. One drink wouldn't hurt.

As Caroline disappeared into her room, Liz appeared at the end of the hallway. She smiled sadly at him. He gave a polite nod in return. She could see that he understood why she had called him. They stood there in silence until Caroline reemerged from her room, changed into a summer dress and a bright smile.

"Shall we?" He held out his arm gentlemanly to her and she looped her own through as she waved goodbye to her mom.

He finds them a booth in the back and leaves her to get drinks. She watches him intently as he confidently struts to the bar and returns a couple of minutes later with a bottle of scotch and two glasses.

"Did you pay for this or compel the bartender to give it you?" She assumed the later.

"I am offended you think so low of me. I paid for the bottle. I compelled him not to id you." He smirked as he poured them a drink each.

"She called you, didn't she?" She took a sip of the scotch, letting the burn fade before taking a second.

He nodded, "She did. I was genuinely passing through anyway so stopped by. Don't be mad at her, she's just looking out for her daughter." He took gulp of his drink, letting his words sink in for continuing, "So tell me what you have busied yourself with since my departure."

"You're not interested in my boring life." She replied with a roll of her eyes.

"That is where you are wrong, Caroline. Would I be here now if I really took no interest in your life?"

She shrugged, conceding that he most probably had a point there. If anything, over the course of their friendship, if it could actually be called that, he has in his own perverse way showed that he cared. So she told him how she had spent her summer, planning every last detail of college, reading every book on the syllabus.

He smiled and nodded, clearly expecting nothing less from her. "And Tyler, where is he in all of this?" He was trying to avoid mentioning Bonnie at the point; he wanted to see where she was mentally.

The mention of his name made her freeze. She hadn't thought of Tyler in a while. "He never came back. He texted me to say that we should move on. I imagine by now that he is shacked up with the she-wolf."

"He's not with Hayley."

"How can you be sure?"

"Call it Sire Instinct." He said with a wink and a smile. After a pause he added, "She is in New Orleans."

"Oh. And Tyler? He's not with her?"

"I'm afraid I stopped keeping tabs on my young hybrid once I allowed him to return." He took a sip of his drink, pausing for a moment like he was rehearsing what he was about to say next, "Caroline, I want to talk to you about Hayley. I know I have not chosen the most appropriate moment with Bonnie's passing."

She interrupted him angrily, "Bonnie hasn't passed. She's just a little stuck. She's coming back."

He reached across the table to gently take her hand, whispering softly, "Caroline, Bonnie is gone."

"Seriously, Klaus?! Why do you have to keep saying that? She isn't gone. She can't be gone. She's Bonnie. She's my best friend." With that, she storms out of The Grill leaving him no choice than to follow her.

"Caroline!" He calls after her, narrowly dodging a car. The effect she had on him made him forget all other senses. "Caroline! I didn't mean it."

She stops, stock-still in the middle of the lawn past the pavement. For a moment, he thinks she is going to march off again but she turns briskly on her heel and in a flash is in his face.

"That's the thing. You did. You all mean it. But this is Bonnie we are talking about. She wouldn't do this. She wouldn't bring Jeremy back if she knew she would never be coming back herself. Anything other than that is a nightmare." She was so quiet yet so confident in her words that it actually scared him.

"I apologize. Can we just talk for a minute? Not about Bonnie. I promise." she nodded and let him guide her to a bench. "I did not mean to cause you upset." A beat passed as he once again gathered his thoughts, "I need to tell you something about Hayley and I wanted to hear this from me. There is no good time to tell you this, and I appreciate this is a particularly bad one, but the reason she is in New Orleans is that she is with child. My child."

All anger she felt previously disappeared. She laughed, a genuine laugh, but tainted with disbelief, "But you're... You know? Dead."

"One of nature's cruel jokes. Apparently my werewolf side is still able to procreate." He said it with such nonchalance, like he had said it so many times that it had lost meaning for him. Like he had finally accepted the absurdity of the situation.

She stood suddenly, "I have to go." And without a further word, she flashed at of sight.

-x-x-

Buddy was still fast asleep next to her when she woke up. For a second the night before escaped her mind but then the headache rolled in and with it the memories of their fight. As she pulled herself up from the sofa, waking Buddy and sending him to the floor, she called out his name, "Nik? Nik, are you home?"

She knew she sounded frantic by she couldn't help it. She knew in her heart that he wouldn't be home. She grabbed her bag and started rummaging around for her phone. That's when the velvet black box caught her eye. It must have fallen to the floor in the night. She gingerly picked it up, like it was going to bite her, and slowly opened it. The ring was beautiful. It was simple yet elegant. It was exactly the kind she would have picked for herself. She let the box slam shut and she set it down in the coffee table.

"Fuck." she cursed to herself as she, with rather aggressive force, kicked the table in frustration.

Why did she have to drink last night? Why did she have to stupidly bring up college? That was long behind them. It didn't even matter anymore. She just let the alcohol do all the talking. And now she had messed things up.

She spent the next twenty minutes sobbing into a cushion while Buddy affectionately nuzzled at her elbow. It was like he knew something bad had happened and was trying to comfort her. After deciding that holding herself a pity party was not going to get anything done, she marched herself upstairs to get ready for a brand new day; a day when she would fight for the one thing she could not be without, him.

After showering, scrubbing off post hangover feeling that clung to her, she changed into a clean pair of blue jeans and a simple black t-shirt. She was refreshed and ready to fight. Her first call was to him. It went straight to voicemail. Hoping she didn't sound too desperate, she begged him to come home. She refused to apologize over the phone; she had to do that in person. Next on her phone call hit list was his elder brother, Elijah. Of his four siblings, Elijah was the most obvious choice. His cell phone also went straight to voicemail. She left a casual message asking if he had seen Nik. His younger sister, Rebekah, was next on her list. The siblings had volatile relationship at times but she knew that they had each other's back. Luckily for her, she was also really good friends with Rebekah.

"Hello?" Her friend sounded sleepy, prompting her to check the time. It was just gone 8am.

"Sorry, Rebekah. I didn't realize the time. You haven't spoken to Nik have you?"

Rebekah yawned, "No. What have you done?"

The youngest Mikaelson sibling had unique knack for being able to read any situation. Caroline explained the whole sad situation to her, occasionally being interrupted by judgmental little sighs. But having been on the receiving end of one of Nik's tantrums before, she agreed to let Caroline know anything if she heard from him.

Feeling slightly better than she did when she woke up, she went to the kitchen to make coffee, cell phone still in hand. As the coffee brewed, she sent a quick text message to Bonnie.

_I fucked up. We got in a fight. He left…but not before throwing a ring at me. A ring! WTF! Do not let me drink again._

She was just taking a sip of her coffee, black to wake her up, when her phone beeped in notification of a text message. She expected it to be a reply from Bonnie but it was actually from Rebekah.

_ Marcels. Told him to get his ass back to yours a.s.a.p. to sort this shit out. You owe me x_

Her heart swelled. She was just happy in the knowledge that he had been found. Marcel was one of his work colleagues. She had met him a couple of times, seemed like a decent guy. She didn't have his phone number and would never have thought to contact him. She sent Rebekah a quick reply of thanks before sinking onto one of the kitchen chairs. The kitchen was still littered with last night's abandoned meal. She couldn't leave it looking like this. She had to clear it. She wanted no reminders of the fight when he got home.

It took exactly one hour to clean the entire kitchen. After which, exhaustion took over and she collapsed onto the sofa. Without even meaning to, she fell asleep after what only felt like minutes. She woke to Buddy licking her hand.

"Hey boy." She rolled over onto her stomach and patted the pup's head.

It took her a moment to realize she was being watched. She pulled herself up and tucked her knees under her. He sat in the armchair opposite, quietly watching her, a neutral expression fixed on his face.

"Nik... I... erm..." she started fidgeting, straightening her hair and t-shirt. "I didn't hear you come in."

"The door was unlocked. You looked peaceful, I thought I'd let you sleep."

"How long have you been back?"

He shrugged, "Only about an hour."

She nodded, suddenly lost for words. She ran over this conversation time and time again in her head as she had been tiding. Now that she was finally face to face with him and could say all the words she needed to say, he left her speechless like a love struck teenager.

Before she could even open her mouth, he spoke, "I want to apologize for my part last night. I overreacted. I shouldn't have stormed out."

She swung her legs out from under her, pulling herself to the very edge of the sofa, "Don't apologize. It was all me. I was stupid and drunk and should never have said those things. I was just upset because of the job and I took it out on you. I shouldn't have. I am so sorry. Nik, I love you. Please, just forgive me. I don't know what I would do without you." She hadn't wanted to beg, but she couldn't help it.

"Do you really think so low of me, that I would actually jeopardize what we have? You know Edie was a mistake. One I thought was long forgotten."

"I know, I know. And everyone kept telling me the same. I just..."

"Sorry, everyone?" He cut her off, had she spoken to others before confronting him?

"Just Elena and Bonnie. I was stressed with the interview and the dreams and you weren't here to talk to. My friends, they read me like a book. They knew where my mind was heading. They told me not to think that way." She rambled, whenever she was nervous her tempo increased two fold.

He let out a little laugh of shock, "You needed to be told that I could be faithful? That I could be trusted?"

"No! No, of course not." It was a short, sudden reply but then her rambling started again. "They just saw how flustered I was. I never for one moment thought you actually would, I swear. I trust you. Last night was just a mistake. A badly judged drunken mistake. One I have no intention of ever making again."

"Why didn't you just talk to me?" he sighed, finally beginning to relax, understanding her frustrations. It was one of her flaws. She wanted perfection so badly at times that she just didn't think. It was one of the things he loved about her, even though he exasperated him no end.

"I don't know. I was just..." Last night had scared her. The tears that she forced herself to stop this morning started flowing again.

It was a good minute before he moved. Slowly at first, gently moving to sit next to her then abruptly pulled her into his arms. She twisted around so she could wrap hers around his waist, crying into his chest.

He lifted her chin with his thumb, pushing back the fallen strands of hair from her eyes, "it's ok. It's ok. We're ok." Then he kissed her, how every girl wants to be kissed, gentle but with all the longing of a passionate kiss. They pulled apart, their foreheads resting on each other, "Caroline," he whispered, "Will you marry me?"

-x-x-

She woke up with the biggest smile on her face. She hadn't felt this happy in what seemed like forever. She turned in her bed to reach for him, but it was empty. She was alone. She sat up. Something didn't feel right. Had she been dreaming? Was she in a dream now? She could have sworn she had just been sitting on the sofa with him. Holding him. Him. Them. Together. There was something between them. Something had happened. Then little fragments came creeping back to her. Little fragments of reality. The Grill. Bonnie. Klaus.

_Klaus. Klaus. Klaus._She repeated his name over and over in her head. It didn't feel right. Yet that was all she had ever called him though. Hadn't she?

She swung her legs off the bed and hopped down. She was still dressed in yesterday's clothes, but she could barely remember what had happened. She wandered through the house to the kitchen to grab something to drink from the fridge before stopping by the living room. He was sitting on the sofa, elbows on his knees, hands together as if he was praying.

"What are you doing here?" She didn't remember him following her home. Had she really dreamed that they had been sat on the sofa together? Or had that actually happened? He looked defeated. Maybe something had happened between them.

He looked up at her, "Your mother let me. I wanted to see if you were ok."

She looked around, "Where...?"

"At work. I decided to wait until you woke." He stood and walked over to her, taking her free hand, "Caroline, about yesterday, it was never my intention to upset you. I just want to be honest with you. Hayley and me, it was a onetime thing. Had I known the repercussions of that indiscretion, I would have been wiser in my actions."

She shook her head, "I'm already over it, Nik. Don't worry about. Go back to New Orleans."

He looked at her in puzzlement, "What did you call me?"

What did I call him? She thought. "Klaus. I called you Klaus." She tried to sound confident but in all honesty, she wasn't sure.

He continued to stare at her, like she had done something insanely wrong, "You called me Nik. Why? Only Rebekah dares use that name."

"I don't. It felt right, ok? What's the big deal?" She pulled her hand away, taking a step back.

"Caroline, are you alright?" The way he looked at her was different. Cautiously searching her eyes for anything recognizable. Like he was seeing a different person. Or was it she that was seeing a different person in him. Was he who she had always known him to be?

"I'm fine, Nik. Klaus. I meant Klaus. Just leave me alone ok?"

"Love..." He could see the confusion in her eyes. Something was wrong. He wanted to help her. He needed to, more than he had wanted to help anyone before. And that feeling scared him.

"I'm fine." She repeated. Things just don't feel quite... real right now. All I know is that I go to sleep and when I wake up, I'm happy. Like maybe this is the dream." She backed away a little further, her eyes brows furrowed, trying to work things out.

He could see that this was not something they could go into easily, so made no further attempts to approach her. "It might not seem like it but this is real."

"How can this be real? Vampires and werewolves? Witches? Hybrids? Pregnant werewolves with vampire baby-daddies? Seriously?! These are the things nightmares are made of. They don't exist." It was like she had totally lost a grip on reality. They all had underestimated the impact Bonnie's passing had had on her.

"Believe me, as crazy as it seems. This is real." He tried to calm her. Hearing her speak like this was starting to scare him, in a way he never thought possible.

She shook get head, "No, this isn't real. This is dream. And I need to wake up from it. I just have to find out how."


End file.
